Is Twitter spoiling Food Network truck show?

May 26, 2011

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Last year, The Lime Truck was voted fan favorite at the OC Foodie Fest in Anaheim. Executive Chef Jason Quinn, right, designed the menu with eclectic dishes such as lamb sandwiches, carnitas fries, hangar steak tacos and crispy gnocchi. Quinn previously worked at Charlie Palmer in Costa Mesa prior to launching The Lime Truck with business partner Daniel Shemtob. Both are competing in the Great Food Truck Race REPORTING BY NANCY LUNA, PHOTO BY JEFF OVERLEY

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Food Network kicked off Season 2 of The Great Food Truck Race in Malibu. Once the race started, Twitter erupted with truck sightings in cities. Two Orange County trucks are in the show. REPORTING BY NANCY LUNA, PHOTOS COURTESY FOOD NETWORK

When Anaheim resident Michelle Reynoso heard via Twitter that her favorite Orange County food truck would be competing in Salt Lake City, she drove there to support them. She's been Tweeting about the race since it started several weeks ago. REPORTING BY NANCY LUNA, Photo Courtesy Michelle Reynoso

Last year, The Lime Truck was voted fan favorite at the OC Foodie Fest in Anaheim. Executive Chef Jason Quinn, right, designed the menu with eclectic dishes such as lamb sandwiches, carnitas fries, hangar steak tacos and crispy gnocchi. Quinn previously worked at Charlie Palmer in Costa Mesa prior to launching The Lime Truck with business partner Daniel Shemtob. Both are competing in the Great Food Truck Race REPORTING BY NANCY LUNA, PHOTO BY JEFF OVERLEY

It’s hard for any reality TV show to fly under the radar in the age of Twitter.

Consider the filming of Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race, which launched taping of its second season several weeks ago. I learned via Twitter that two Orange County food trucks (Seabirds and The Lime Truck) were competing in the reality show – where gourmet trucks try to outsell each other in coast-to-coast street battles.

At the time, Food Network reps – clearly underestimating the power of social media this year — repeatedly ignored the media’s attempt to confirm the lineup of trucks. Truck owners also kept quiet.

Understandably, the success of any reality show is sworn secrecy from contestants to prevent spoilers for TV audiences.

But when you’re hawking food to the masses in major cities like Salt Lake City, Denver and Memphis, it’s hard to keep details under wraps.

Twitter – the main communicating platform for food trucks — erupted. Loyal food truck fans like Michelle Reynoso of Anaheim began Tweeting details about their favorite trucks being on the show.

Sightings were impossible to ignore as fans shared photos of trucks selling food.

“The show is a competition, so of course we do everything we can to avoid spoiling the content of the show,” said Brian Lando, Food Network’s vice president of programming and special projects. “But, the fact is elements of the show are dependent on public events and social media chatter leads to speculation.”

The popular cable show eventually posted the eight-truck lineup not long after the viral Tweets spread to foodies in various cities. (List of 8 truck contestants). Show host, superstar chef Tyler Florence, regularly makes Twitter announcements about location shoots.

“The Great Food Truck people realized that Twitter is too powerful of a tool to ignore,” said Reynoso, 41. “I think they just tossed in the towel and made this year’s filming less of a secret since it was going to get leaked out anyway. Might as well get the buzz going right?”

And getting the buzz going on her beloved The Lime Truck is indeed what she’s been doing for weeks. Reynoso, who I consider the Queen of Food Truck Foodies in O.C., drove nearly 11 hours to Salt Lake City to support The Lime Truck during the Utah challenge.

***spoiler alert***

When she and her husband arrived in Salt Lake City, she found her fave truck parked in front of a Petsmart selling a meatless menu of mac ‘n cheese, honey BBQ lettuce wraps and a mushroom cheese steak taco. The Lime Truck crew took one look at her and laughed, she wrote on her blog. The hometown team told her contestants were given only $100 to spend for the challenge so they went with a veggie menu.

The couple ate and stayed for about an hour before heading back home.

“It was 7 p.m. when I thought of the trip,” she told me earlier this week in between posting messages about the show’s next stop. “Talk about being spontaneous. I don’t know who was more shocked — the Lime Truck, my friends, or me.”

Besides Reynoso, media sites and other food bloggers have been sharing details about truck sightings via blogs and Twitter.

“The social media coverage of this season is really a testament to the show’s popularity,” Lando said. “Last year, viewers weren’t sure what to expect – but now there is a lot of anticipation for the amazing challenges, personalities and food that roll in with the trucks to each city.”

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts joined the trucks in Denver for a segment that showed some of the action in the Mile High City. The piece included interviews with Seabirds and The Lime Truck — clearly still in the race. Roberts swooned as she took bites of beer-bathed mussels from The Lime Truck and beer-battered avocado tacos from Seabirds.

Reynoso and other Twitter foodies Re-Tweeted (Twitter lexicon for “reposted”) the images immediately.

As of this weekend, I can safely report that Irvine-based Lime Truck is still in the hunt. (It appears that Costa Mesa-based Seabirds got knocked out in an earlier round. )

The Lime Truck and its California-inspired beach cuisine will be part of a trio of trucks — including one from Cleveland — competing in Atlanta during Memorial Day weekend.

Food Network declined to comment about any Atlanta details. However, Florence’s latest Twitter dispatch confirms the site of the next challenge:

“Thank You Memphis!!! We had a blast. Full, Happy and a little blurry. #TheGreatFoodTruckRace is heading to ATL.. Let’s Get Rolling!!!”

As for Reynoso, she continues to chronicle the escapades of her favorite truck via her blog and on Twitter. She’s also been reaching out to local media and food bloggers in each city to tip them off about upcoming filming, and to declare her unabashed support of Lime Truck’s gourmet street food.

Fans of #TheLimeTruck, if U have friends in #Atlanta, pls ask them to eat at #TheLimeTruck this weekend. Generous tips appreciated! #OC

Though she’s been reporting the events of the truck race “live,” Reynoso said she still plans to watch the show when it airs in August.

“Even if I do find out who won the race, I’ll watch it to see what the other cities felt about the food,” she said. “I know the Lime Truck’s food is amazing, but does Atlanta? Denver? Salt Lake City? I’d like to know.”

Food Network said hard-core fans following events online are still in for some shocking revelations.

“Things aren’t always as they seem though — and we certainly upped the ante this season on challenges, so there are surprises at every corner,” Lando said.

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